Motor-propelled sleigh.



M. T311111, MOTOR PROPELLED smmH. I APPLIOATlO-IPILED MAY 7, 1907.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

AWE/V 5,

Wing- I A T'TOR/VE Y5 UNITED "STATES rarnnr orrron. c

' MATH TRUNT, or MON'IICELLO, MINNESOTA.

MoroR-rRorELLED semen.

Specification ofLetters Patent. 1 =IE npplieatien led Mayl, 1907. Serial Nd, 372.3231.

. Passed Dec. :1, 190's.

To all whom it muy concern: I

Be i known that I, MA'rrrTRUN'na citizen of the United States, residing at Monticello,

in the county of vVVI'ight and State of Minnesota', have invented a new: and useful Motor- Propelled Sleigh, of which the following is a Specification. r

This invention relatesto motor propelled sleighsandits object is to provide a. vehicle of this character having novel means whereby the same maybe propelled over ice or snow, said :means; being under the positive" control of the .operatorat all times.

A still further object is to provide a propelling device which will ride over uneven surfaces without affecting the movement of the vehicle, said propellin device beingaso disposed as to automatical y adjust itself to the surface thereunder.

With these and other objects in iew the invention COIIS ISt S: of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointedout in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of the, invention.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation. of a sleigh embodying the present improvements; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the sleigh, the body thereof bemg'removed; and Fig.3 1s a transverse section-through a portion of the sleigh andshowing the steering mechanism in rear elevation.

Referring .to thefigures by characters of reference, 1, 1 designate the two rear runners of the sleigh the same being pivotally "connected as at 2 with the body 3 of the sleigh. These runners are disposed-to rock independently upon the pivots- 2 so as to ride easily over an. uneven surface. The front runners 4. are PIVOiZELIlY COQIIGOtGd to stems 5 disposed perpendicularly to the body- 3 and mounted to rotate within a. socket 6 depending from the body. It is thus apparent that, each ofthe front runners is capable of swinging in a vertical plane upon :wit

its horizontal plane pivot 7 as well as in a the stem 5 as a pivot.

. gAny suitable means'ma beemployed for 'swin ing 1 the runners 4. aterally' to guide the s eigh. In the drawings the two runners have been shown connected by a cross bar 8 pivoted to them as at 9 and connected bya lmk 10 with an arm 11 a'stem 12. This stem is mounted to rock projecting from within the {raw-a aid has a steering wheel 13 at its upp'eref'end andwitliin convenient reach ojf -thegoperator. Obviously by turning the stem -12,jin,on e direction the runners lean be swung, laterally: to turn the sleigh no one way andbyturning the stem-12 in the opposite direction this movement of the" sleigh may be reversed. Chains 14 are preferably; connectedv to-the front ends of the runners 4 so asto limitthe vertical and lateral movement thereof. All the runnersare preferably ltriangular in cross section to I preventlateral slipping. v W

Trunnions-15 varejournaled in. the sides of frame 3 aboyef the rear :portions of runners 7O 4 and these trunnionspr'oject laterally from 1 arms 16; extending downwardly and rearwardly andQ-havinga shaft 17 i'journaled in their rearendsi propelling wheel 18 issecured to.eachendof-thisshaft and close .be housed within a casing 26 upon the front portion ofthe frame 3. A shaft 27 is journaled within and extends transversely of the frame and has arms 28 extending therefrom and connected to the rear portions of the arms'ldby means of coiled springs 29.; A lever 30 extends from one endof shaft 27 and is adapted to be locked in adjusted position by means of a toothed sector'31." A

space such as designated at 32. is." formed within the body 33 of the sleigh and above wheels 18 sothat saidwheels can be readily raised out of contact with the surface on which the-runners rest.

As power is transmitted from the motor to gear 25 and as said gear is designed to move in an arc with the axesqof the trunnions 15 it is obvious that the arms 16' can .be swung 'so as toraise or lower the propelling wheels without interfering-with the actuatlon of the wheels. This adjustment of the arms is effected by means of lever 30 and it is apparent that the sleigh can be ing the wheels into contact with the surface thereunder or by raising them abovesaid quickly started or. stopped simply by lowersurface respectively; As the centers 'of the wheels are disposed below the trunnions 15 it will be understood that the forward thrust jby the wheels will tend to force them down-,

--;," ward, thus insuring a .firm grip upon thesnow or ice at all times. The springs 29 are designed to exert a continuous downward,

pressure'upon the arms 16 and Wheels 18 so v that said wheels will positively engage the surface thereunder and will ride over uneven surfaces or obstructions in the path of y the wheels.

.- A vehicle such as herein described can be thereof.

readily controlled and can be started or stopped without interfering with the operation of the motor simply by manipulating the propelling wheels 18. Importance is attached to the fact that these wheels are so positioned as to force themselves downward againstlthe surface thereunder when exerting a forward thrust and that said Wheels can automatically adapt themselves to any surface on which they may be mounted.

It is thought that the operation of the q guiding mechanism will be apparent Without the necessity of a detail description Although two propelling wheels have been shown it is to be understood that a; this number may be diminished or increased desired without departing from. the present invention.

What is claimed is:

A motor propelled sleigh comprising arunner-supported body, arms pivotally connected to and extending rearwardly and downwardly from the front'portion of the body, a transversely'exteriding shaft journaled in the rear end portions of the arms,

a propelling wheel upon each end of said shaft and close to the inner faces of the adjoining runners, radial fingers-fextending from each wheel, meansmovable vertically with the arms for transmitting motion from a motor upon the body to the transversely extending shaft, a transversely extending MATH TRUNT.

Witnesses:

MATT BARTHE JOHN Gone.- 

